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Best Overall Case I've Used
08/29/2013

Pros:

I’ve built approx. 40 PC's over the years using primarily Antec & Raidmax cases with a couple of other brands thrown in. My favorite has always been the Antec Sonata series which combine a combination of looks, performance, and absolutely no noise (1 fan).

I prefer cases with power supplies but I had to give this case a test. Following is what I found:

Accessibility - Big for a micro ATX case, it provides outstanding accessibility to all components as both sides open and the upper HDD cage is removable. It's easy to maneuver and I didn't come across any sharp edges.

Cable Management - Outstanding with numerous openings with rubber flaps and plenty of loops to run the cable ties through to secure the wires against the inner skeleton. The cables are still visible but that is not my concern.

Appearance - For the price it's great and the picture does not give it justice.

Air Flow - Still to be determined with use but air filters are high quality, custom fitted around the fans, and denser than any other I have come across. They can be removed and cleaned.

Features - HDD cage (upper) that swivels and can be removed. HDD mounts can also be removed and attached to either standard drives or the smaller SSD's. As such, you can attach 6 SSD's in total.

Looks like it can accommodate the larger water cooled systems and graphic cards although that is not my use.

Front ports for USB2, USB3, power, reset, microphone and headset are on the top of the computer.

An optional speed controller for 3 fans that can be accessed externally.

Miscellaneous - The installation kit (screws, etc...) that a case comes with has always been a pet peeve of mine as a lot of manufacturers barely supply what is needed for a basic configuration. That is not the case here. The installation kit has more screws than I know what to do with, high quality anti-vibration flat head screws and large rubber grommets to reduce vibration and 10 unused thumb screws for securing components in the bays. They even included plenty of cable ties.

Cons:

None unless you favor a power supply mounted on the top of the case.

Other Thoughts:

This is now my favorite case for the money and will be my standard for all future builds. The only feature the Sonata series beats the Fractal on is noise. Although they market it is a low noise system, once you have worked with a Sonata, it's hard to accept anything other than NO noise.

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